Souvenir Talibong or Garab
 

This is a souvenir Talibong or Garab. It is lettered with the name and ship of a US sailor. The first USS Doyen, DD-280 was a destroyer in the 1920's that served in the Pacific. I have been unable to find any record of it docking in the Philippines. The 2nd Doyen, APA-1 was an Attack Transport that landed troops on Leyte and Lingayen Gulf. I think that is a more likely time frame. It is well made, and has a hardened edge. Doesn't seem to have seen any use. The blade is 20" (50 cm) long, and .264" (6.76 mm) thick at the hilt. The tang does not go through the hilt, and there is a little brass decoration on the side of the hilt. While it was probably a souvenir it is well made.
I'm interested in your thoughts about this piece.

Thanks!
Steve

Hi Steve:

Yes, I would go with your second option too. The knife may well be from Leyte. It has been nicely inscribed and with that amount of information I wonder if you can find out more about its owner from official US records.

Ian

Steve:

There is a partial crew roster for the USS Doyen (ALA-1) here. No mention of Jay Cappell but there are some contact email addresses that might be useful for follow up. You might get a hit from one of them remembering the guy, but I expect they will all be pretty old by now.

Ian.

Thanks Ian. I’ll check it out.
Steve

Hello Steve,

The brass flower(?) is unusual, indeed.

Any laminations and/or inserted edge? It looks well made: Even if it is a tad thin for a somewhat longer blade, it may well be earlier.

Also the scabbard looks better than most pieces that apparently got crafted for selling to GIs: While the carving is not comparable with 19th century pieces, the wood seems to be of higher quality - can you verify the hardwood/quality?

Regards,
Kai

Hello Kai,
It’s a well made blade with a hardened edge. The wood and craftsmanship are good but I don’t know the type of wood. I think it was probably new when bought, but made by an experienced maker.
Thanks for your observations.
Steve

Hello Steve,

There is a chance that the blade may be older and recycled (despite the intact edge). Could you add a pic of the reverse side of the blade, please?


Have you handled the rather brittle hardwood typical for antique scabbards from Samar & E Leyte?

Regards,
Kai

Kai,
Here is a picture of the reverse side of the blade. It shows the hardened edge. Also, pictures of a smaller talibon with a scabbard made from the same reddish wood. Might it be Narra? Both scabbards do seem to be brittle wood.
Thanks,
Steve

Hi Steve:

Thanks for the extra pics. I'm not seeing anything here to suggest that the blade is an older one that has been refitted. It all looks WWII vintage to me.

Part of the inscription seems to be obscured by one of the rattan strips. I'm thinking that the "M...M 3/c" probably refers to "Machinist Mate third class" which would be this guy's navy rank.

Ian

Thanks Ian. I agree that it was a new blade when sold. The inscription was painted around the rattan strips and probably does refer to a Machinist's Mate.
Steve

Hello Steve,

How thick are these scabbards (without the hanger block)?

A pic of the broken area of the second scabbard might also help... (Taken with lots of light, preferably in full sun!)

Regards,
Kai